Suite 518/520, Monday morning

[demonbelthazor]

Homecoming had gone off without a hitch. Almost. After picking up Veronica, he'd ordered flowers for Phoebe. Willow and Hermione had provide the pumpkin coach. He'd borrowed Old Man from Pippi to pull it. And Isabel had transformed Phoebe's shoes into glass slippers. He'd left a note for Phoebe along with the jewelry he'd bought her to go downstairs, where her horse-drawn carriage had taken her to dinner, and then to the Homecoming dance. There were pictures and dancing, and Phoebe was having the time of her life.

Then he'd run into Logan at the punchbowl which ended in a fight that fortunately for Logan had been interrupted by walter and the Doctor. Another few minutes and he might have killed him, and strangely that thought didn't bother him as much as it should have.

Saturday he'd had detention that Phale had given him after he threatened Joxer in Prophecy. The moron had it coming, though; Bel refused to back down from that. Hence...detention. It wasn't a bad detention, since there was fighting, then Dr. Wilson had talked to him over lunch, and then more fighting. He still bore the injuries from that fight, knife slashes across his arms and chest. But fighting felt good.

Then he'd gotten a message from Angel to meet him at J,GoB. He debated not going, figuring Angel was just going to be pissed about the fight with Logan, and he didn't have much to say to him anyway. But he went. He'd felt angry and defensive, and when Angel made him promise to call if he was having difficulties, he wasn't sure he'd actually do it. Where before he'd wanted nothing but Angel's approval, now he just felt bitterness.

The next morning, he'd gone to Luke's for breakfast and ended up accidentally punching Cally in the face. He felt bad about it and took her home, but part of him worried that maybe it hadn't been an accident. Maybe he hit her on purpose.

Finishing up the weekend had been running into Piper in the park and taking Veronica home -- who had proceeded to try to get him to talk to her about what was gonig on. How could he tell her that everything was spinning out of control? The only one thing he was sure of anymore was his love for Phoebe, and from what he'd been seeing of the future, maybe that wouldn't even be enough to save him.


[ooc: Open for the girlfriend or anyone who wants to knock on the door, otherwise just a linkdrop.]

Comments

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe was silent for a moment as she thought about what he was saying.

"I don't know if losing your powers would mean you weren't part demon any longer," she said honestly. "Is this something you want and what are the reasons why?"

If this was something he truly wanted, she'd do research and find an answer for him. However, she wasn't going to allow any changes to him that came from fleeting thoughts.

[demonbelthazor]

"I wouldn't be able to...hurt anyone anymore," he said. "Right?"

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe took a deep breath.

"I don't know, love," she said again. "I'm not entirely sure how these things work. If your powers are stripped from you, it could mean that you were now completely human and not have some of the issues that you're struggling with. On the other hand, it could make you a demon with no supernatural powers and that could make things worse. Not all creatures who hurt people have powers. Humans hurt other humans, too."

[demonbelthazor]

"I know," Cole growled, tightening his arms around her as he thought of the mugger.

He signed and tried to relax. "I just feel like I'm losing control," he said quietly. "The demon part of me...it wants to hurt. It wants to kill."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe stroked his hair as he talked to her about this.

"Is there any specific situation or actions that trigger this?"

[demonbelthazor]

"I don't know," he said. "I...you heard the radio, right? I hit Cally. But it was an accident!"

[sensethevisions]

"I heard the radio... both times," she said quietly. "I know you would never purposefully hit Cally, so what was going on when it happened?"

[demonbelthazor]

"She asked about my fight with Logan," he said. "I was showing her how I hit him...and I ended up hitting her."

[sensethevisions]

That could have made some sort of sense, she decided for the moment.

"What provoked the fight with Logan?"

[demonbelthazor]

"He's Logan," Cole said, as if that was explanation enough.

[sensethevisions]

It wasn't.

"He had to have done or said something that instigated the fight and triggered your temper, love."

[demonbelthazor]

"His being here was reason enough," Cole grumbled. "And then he got in my face and started making comments about who you got to be your handsome prince. I told him to back off, but...."

[sensethevisions]

"So... he mentioned me as an excuse to hurt you?"

[demonbelthazor]

"'Course he did," Cole said. "He's a jackass."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe had been a little surprised that Logan had done that to Cole considering she and Logan had been pretty civil to each other during their visit.

"Sweetheart, you know he just does that to see how far he can push you and your temper, right?" She bit her lip. "He knows that I'm kind of an Achilles Heel for you."

[demonbelthazor]

"He wants a fight, he'll get one," Cole growled.

[sensethevisions]

"Why?"

[demonbelthazor]

"Because I don't like him," Cole said.

[sensethevisions]

"Not liking someone doesn't mean you should fight them. If that wasn't true, then I would be in the clinic an awful lot, love." She ran a hand through his hair. "Sometimes the better thing to do is to walk away from it."

[demonbelthazor]

"I don't walk away from fights," Cole growled.

[sensethevisions]

"Why not?" She demanded calmly. "Sometimes, it takes a stronger person to walk away from a fight than it does to throw a punch."

[demonbelthazor]

"That's not who I am," he said simply.

[sensethevisions]

"Niether is being without your powers," she said softly. "Yet, you're asking me about stripping you of your powers. The thing is, Cole, walking away from a useless fight doesn't make you any less of who you are." She gave him a serious look. "It doesn't make you less of a man."

[demonbelthazor]

"Yeah, well maybe without my powers I won't want to fight as much," he challenged. "If the demon is gone...."

[sensethevisions]

"Do you think only demons have trigger tempers, love?" She smiled at him slightly. "You've seen my temper."